Noel Gallagher goes solo, recalls Oasis split

LONDON (Reuters) - Noel Gallagher unveiled plans on Wednesday for his first solo album, and recalled the day in Paris two years ago when rock band Oasis broke up amid violent scenes involving his brother and lead singer Liam.

The 44-year-old former lead guitarist and principal songwriter for Oasis, told reporters that he would release his debut solo disc "Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds" on October 17 and a second, complimentary album, in 2012.

The choice of which song he would release as a single had yet to be decided.

Asked to compare the music on the new album with that of Oasis, arguably Britain's biggest band of the 1990s with total album sales estimated at around 70 million, he replied:

"The main difference is there's no guitar solos (on the new record). There's a guitar solo on two tracks and one of them I didn't play. You'll like it. You'll think it's brilliant.

"The songs are not Oasis songs. It's not stadium rock. There's an electric kettle in there, for crying out loud. When I write a song I'm not thinking ... I have to do something different because of what I've done in the past.

"The first track you are going to hear doesn't sound like anything I've ever done before. That's not a conscious thing it's just the way the songs were written."

Gallagher said he would tour with the new music before its release, sticking to relatively small venues.

The song titles on the 10-track album include "Everybody's on the Run," "Dream On," "If I Had a Gun ..." and "The Death of You and Me." It will be released through his own record label Sour Mash Records.

Gallagher recorded the new material in 2010 and 2011 in London and Los Angeles.

THAT PARIS PUNCH-UP

The Gallagher brothers are almost as famous for their public bust-ups as they are for their musical collaborations, and their strained relationship finally snapped in 2009 as they prepared to play a Paris gig.

Younger sibling Liam, who went on to form Beady Eye with most of the Oasis lineup, has been the more outspoken of the two, but Noel gave his side of the break-up story on Wednesday.

He recalled the build-up to the infamous Paris split, saying Liam had pulled out of a gig at the last minute "because he had a hangover," and wanted to advertise his own private merchandise for free in Oasis programs while on tour.

"I didn't think it was right for him to be flogging his gear to our fans. There was a massive row about that."

Relations continued to sour, Noel said, until an incident in a dressing room in late August, 2009, when an already riled Liam came in wielding a guitar "like an axe.

"It was a really unnecessary violent act, and he was swinging this guitar around and he nearly took my face off with it," the musician recalled.

"He doesn't like me in a violent way. I don't get on with him but he takes it to a (new) level. There's no point in being in a band with people you fight with. I kind of did everybody a favor."

Gallagher said that being the lead singer in his new musical venture would take some getting used to.

"I never really see myself as being a front man," he said.

"I can see it being a major pain in the ass for me. Now it's like I've got to stand in the middle of the stage and that's going to be weird.

"He (Liam) is probably better off without me because he's in charge. It remains to be seen if I'm better off without him."